John Devine: It's time for A's to move to San Jose

It's the last stadium in professional sports that is used for football and baseball.

One of Major League Baseball's most successful franchises since moving to Oakland spends its summers playing in a decrypted and outdated stadium, staring at more empty seats covered with canvases than fans.

The coliseum has become a dump.

And apparently it smelled like sewage last weekend.

In an era where 23 teams have received new ballparks in the last two decades, this is an eyesore for Major League Baseball.

Territorial rights aside, a decision needs to be made on the future of the A's.

Major League Baseball is dragging its feet, choosing instead to shell out $40 million each year to the A's as part of revenue sharing.

The A's want to move 36.3 miles down the road to a city three times the size of Oakland.

Makes sense.

Unless you're the Giants, who have the territorial rights to San Jose — not to mention a minor league baseball team.

This is an obstacle. The Giants are not willing to give up those rights, fearing that a portion of their fan base in the South Bay could trade their allegiance to the defending World Series champs for the A's.

Well, if you're that insecure, those aren't true fans anyway.

Truth be told, before AT&T Park was built, the Giants fan base looked a lot like the A's with roughly 10 to 15,000 people showing up at Candlestick Park to brave those chilly nights.

Now a new stadium for the A's should not be an excuse to attract fans, particularly for a franchise that is currently one of the best in baseball as we near the midpoint of the season.

Trust me, the novelty wears off with a new stadium after a few years if the product isn't very good. Just ask the Cleveland Indians or Miami Marlins.

The Giants are selling out games 13 years after AT&T Park was built because they've won two World Series titles and play in a world-class city.

The coliseum is the fourth oldest ballpark that has not been renovated for baseball, behind Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium.

Simply put, it's not conducive for baseball anymore. Check out the foul territory. If you are along the right- or left-field lines, you're still miles from the playing field.

The fence in the outfield looks like something you'd see at a minor league ballpark. And the green canvases that cover the third deck and the seats that overlook the Nimitz Freeway are horrific.

Of course, that's not a reason for A's fans to remain home. But they have for those very reasons.

There have been nights in the spring where the Warriors outdrew the A's. Nights in the summer when the A's Triple-A team in Sacramento has outdrawn their counterparts in Oakland.

That tells me it's not only the stadium. It's time to go.

There is a spot near the Shark Tank in downtown San Jose, where a light rail system hovers nearby, where a state-of-the-art, 40,000-seat stadium could be built.

Yes, I realize the Giants own the rights to San Jose for baseball. True, the A's originally gave up those rights when the Giants considered building a stadium in San Jose.

No doubt, there are a lot of Giants fans that take the train from the South Bay to San Francisco. I could see how a closer venue could be an attraction.

But if you bleed orange and black, you're going back regardless, and spending $10 for garlic fries.

When the Expos moved to Washington, D.C., the Orioles claimed that D.C. was their territorial rights. It didn't matter as baseball wanted a team in the nation's capital instead of Canada.

Why is this any different?

We're in a similar situation right now. Major League Baseball has to step in. You can't keep a franchise floundering without a life jacket.

The Expos played in a stadium built for the 1976 Summer Olympics with no TV contract and no fan interest. The A's play in a stadium built for the Raiders with no baseball ambiance.

When the City of Oakland put all their money into bringing the Raiders back to Oakland, the A's — owners of four World Series rings — didn't have a say when the Mt. Davis seats took away the once picturesque view of the East Bay Hills.

What has transpired since then is a rash of gorgeous baseball-only ballparks being built in downtowns across America. San Jose already has the land in place to build the A's a home they deserve.

Oakland made its choice when it spent all that money luring the Raiders back. It was the wrong choice. Baseball parks belong in a downtown venue. Yet, what will be the ultimate attraction to San Jose is lifetime support.